Just curious how many of you, esp. men, live in either the Midwest, the South, or some other rural area of the US, and find that, even in your 60s or older, that most people on dating sites treat you as undateable or reject you because you are childfree? I have learned that, even here in Iowa, most men who are middle-aged or older, really don't care if a woman on a dating site has kids or not, in fact, most men probably prefer a woman without kids. But the women in my local dating pool really seem to prefer family men only, even at my age. It seems like such bullshit and that it should be irrelevant when they and I are long past the age of breeding and, usually, also past the age of our kids living with us.

I know that some of you on this site will probably answer me by saying I should try to overcome this by either moving away to a better dating pool somewhere less kid and family-oriented, or else try dating someone long distance. So I will answer those in advance by saying I won't do either of those, since I need my several local friends way too much as they are my only support system, and as for LD dating, it seldom works out and is emotionally very challenging. I don't need that kind of added stress in my life. I am not asking anyone to fix the problem, I am asking for the perspectives and experiences of others, something women seem to understand when they hear someone ask for opinions and perspectives, while men seem to only hear someone stating a problem that the men need to fix. Emotionally intelligent people know the difference between the two.